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Noida Techie Drowns After Hours of Pleading for Help, Raising Questions About Police Response
A 27-year-old Noida-based tech professional, Yuvraj Mehta, tragically drowned in a nearly 70-foot-deep drain in Sector 150 early Saturday morning after reportedly screaming for help for over two hours while standing atop his partially submerged car.Teh incident has sparked outrage and raised serious questions about the response of local authorities.
Yuvraj Mehta, employed by a private company in Gurgaon, was returning home around 12:30 am when his vehicle plunged into the drain. His father, Raj Mehta, alleges the drain was dangerously exposed due to a damaged boundary wall.”The visibility was extremely low due to fog, and the boundary wall near the drain was already broken,” he stated in a police complaint.
The young man, who had lost his mother two years prior, was the sole provider for his family, residing with his father at Tata Eureka Park in Noida’s Sector 150. according to his friend, Pankaj Tokas, Yuvraj managed to escape the car and climb onto its roof after the crash, instantly contacting his father. “He was six-foot tall, a fit guy but did not know how to swim,” Pankaj added.
Initial reports indicate a delayed and inadequate response from authorities. Raj Mehta reportedly struggled to locate the exact site of the accident, initially arriving at the wrong location before alerting the police. Pankaj Tokas claims that when officers arrived,they admitted they were unable to swim. “the police personnel who arrived at the spot kept saying they did not know how to swim. Cranes and ropes were also called, but no one entered the water to save my friend… And then he stopped pleading for help around 2:30 am,” Pankaj recounted.
A passerby,identified as Moninder,attempted a rescue around 1:45 am,searching the drain for 30 minutes without success. Moninder later told The Indian Express that officials offered excuses for their inaction, citing cold water and potential underwater obstructions. “The management is responsible for the death. He kept pleading for help.but these officials kept saying that the water was cold and maybe there were iron rods in the water and none of them jumped to save him,” he said.
Police state they received notification of the incident around 1:00 am via the Police Response vehicle (PRV) and immediately contacted the Fire Department,along with State Disaster Response Force (SDRF) and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams. However, Station House Officer Sarvesh Singh acknowledged the SDRF and NDRF teams arrived two hours later, hampered by low visibility. “The police made all efforts to save him but the visibility was so low that the man could not be seen… The SDRF and NDRF teams reached two hours late,” Singh stated.
Pankaj Tokas alleges the NDRF and SDRF teams didn’t enter the water until 3:20 am, long after Yuvraj had ceased calling for help. By the time rescue teams were able to deploy, it was too late. Yuvraj’s body was recovered around 6:30 am. the search for the submerged vehicle continues, with police stating they will resume efforts on Sunday.
As of this report, no First Data Report (FIR) has been filed, but a memorandum will be sent to the noida Authority regarding the hazardous conditions that contributed to the tragedy. Raj Mehta’s complaint highlights previous requests from local residents to the noida Authority to install barricades and reflectors around the drain, requests that were allegedly ignored.
Attempts to reach Noida Authority General Manager A K Arora for comment were unsuccessful.
This incident underscores critical questions about emergency response protocols and infrastructure safety in the rapidly developing city of Noida. The delay in rescue efforts and the alleged lack of preparedness among first responders have ignited public concern and demand for accountability.
